Federal FTCA Suit Filed over BIA Cop Killing of Turtle Mountain Chippewa Citizen

Here is the complaint in Wilkie v. United States (D.N.D.):

Eighth Circuit Denies Indian Property Rights (again) and Affirms Dismissal of Trespass Claims against Pipeline Company

Here is the opinion in Chase v. Andeavor Logistics PC.

Briefs:

Lower court materials.

New Mexico Federal Court Dismisses FTCA False Arrest Suit against Picuris Pueblo/BIA Cops

Here are the materials in Farden v. United States (D.N.M.):

1 Complaint

59 Motion for Summary J

61 Response

65 Reply

73 DCT Order

Crow Nation Sues BIA over Being Placed on “Do Not Pay” List

Here is the complaint in Crow Tribe v. United States (D. Mont.):

IBIA Holds BIA Illegally Denied Modoc Nation Access to Federal Surplus Goods [airplanes] Seven Years Later . . . And Now Planes are Gone

Here is the opinion in Modoc Tribe of Oklahoma v. Eastern Oklahoma Regional Director:

Ninth Circuit Refuses to Enforce Land Partition Agreement between BIA and Estate of Crow Citizen

Here is the opinion in Halverson v. Burgum.

Briefs:

Opening Brief

Answer Brief

Reply

NARF’s Work in Alaska Over 40 Years

The Native American Rights Fund has provided legal assistance to Tribes in Alaska since NARF’s founding in the early 1970s. In 1984, NARF opened an Alaska office so it could better serve Alaska Native Tribes and individuals. In the 40 years since NARF Alaska opened its doors, the office has litigated some of the most influential cases in the development of federal Indian law in Alaska. Below is an overview of the foundational work that NARF has done with and on behalf of Alaska Native Tribal governments and people.

Blast from the Past: Felix Cohen’s “Bill of Particulars”

The early 1950s featured truly awful federal leadership in Indian affairs, with Dillon Myer serving as Commissioner and Oscar Chapman as Interior Secretary. The leadership of the American Association on Indian Affairs wanted to produce a high-profile “bill of particulars” that would condemn the government’s terminationist actions. Other national activists resisted, worrying that direct political attacks on Interior Department leaders would backfire. While they debated, Felix Cohen wrote a 34 page memorandum detailing federal abuses, a paper he would shape into his classic Yale Law Journal article, The Erosion of Indian Rights, 1950-1953: A Case Study in Bureaucracy.

Here is the bill of particulars:

Wichita and Affiliated Tribes and Washoe Tribe Sue Federal Government re: Carlisle

Here is the complaint in Wichita and Affiliated Tribes v. Burgum (M.D. Pa.):

DOGE Plans to Close 41 Offices of the BIA, IHS, NIGC, and DOI Office of Hearing and Appeals – Probate Hearings Division

Below is a list of planned lease terminations pulled from the DOGE website on March 10, 2025. The list is likely incomplete and inaccurate, since DOGE’s “wall of receipts” has notoriously overstated its savings impact for federal taxpayers, requiring numerous corrections since it began posting details of its work.

The list below also includes plans for the closure of seven additional BIA offices. These additional closures were pulled from a table published by the Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee.

“The impact on Bureau of Indian Affairs offices will be especially devastating. These offices are already underfunded, understaffed, and stretched beyond capacity, struggling to meet the needs of Tribal communities who face systemic barriers to federal resources. Closing these offices will further erode services like public safety, economic development, education, and housing assistance—services that Tribal Nations rely on for their well-being and self-determination.” – Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee

Mark Macarro, President of NCAI, explained to the A.P. that funding for the BIA, IHS, and the BIE represents the lion’s share of the government’s obligations to tribes, and last year those departments made up less than a quarter of 1% of the federal budget. “They’re looking in the wrong place to be doing this,” said Macarro. “And what’s frustrating is that we know that DOGE couldn’t be a more uninformed group of people behind the switch. They need to know, come up to speed real quick, on what treaty rights and trust responsibility means.”

AGENCYLOCATIONSQ FTANNUAL LEASE
BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRSCARNEGIE, OK0$2,798
BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRSST. GEORGE, UT750$50,400
BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRSFREDONIA, AZ1,500$22,860
INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE-CALIFORNIAARCATA, CA1,492$37,012
INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE NAVAJOFARMINGTON, NM2,000$62,677
BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRSPAWNEE, OK7,549$156,171
BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRSSEMINOLE, OK9,825$184,770
INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE-BEMIDJIBEMIDJI, MN4,896$133,916
INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE -OKLAHOMAOKLAHOMA CITY, OK5,000$119,951
BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRSWATONGA, OK2,850$38,573
BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRSPABLO, MT620$10,418
BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRSRAPID CITY, SD1,825$53,911
BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRSFORT THOMPSON, SD4,870$58,976
BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRSSISSETON, SD4,911$180,008
INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE-BEMIDJITRAVERSE CITY, MI798$28,638
BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRSZUNI, NM2,117$39,819
INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE NAVAJOGALLUP, NM20,287$322,529
BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRSELKO, NV4,760$134,297
BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRSASHLAND, WI34,970$649,408
BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRSSHAWANO, WI1,990$36,395
INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE NAVAJOSAINT MICHAELS, AZ40,924$1,074,931
BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRSPHOENIX, AZ71,591$1,784,239
BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRSREDDING, CA5,307$154,103
BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRSHOLLYWOOD, FL3,000$79,365
INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE-PHOENIXELKO, NV853$22,240
INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE-NASHVILLEMANLIUS, NY2,105$37,648
INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE-NASHVILLEOPELOUSAS, LA1,029$25,015
INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE-BEMIDJISAULT STE MARIE, MI1,100$34,375
INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE-CALIFORNIAUKIAH, CA1,848$45,857
BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRSPAWHUSKA, OK10,335$166,134
NATIONAL INDIAN GAMING COMMISSIONRAPID CITY, SD1,518$43,938
BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRSTOPPENISH, WA17,107$533,985
BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRSBARAGA, MI1,200$14,400
OFFICE OF HEARING AND APPEALS
(PROBATE HEARINGS DIVISION)
RAPID CITY, SD2,252$53,198
TOTALS270927$6,339,757
Additional Office Closures – House Natural Resources Committee List
BUREAULOCATIONPLANNED TERM. DATE
1409: BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRSSHOW LOW, AZ1/26/2026
1409: BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRSTOWAOC,  COTBD
1409: BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRSLAPWAI, ID9/30/2025
1409: BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRSSAULT SAINT MARIE, MITBD
1409: BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRSPOPLAR, MTTBD
1409: BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS FT TOTTEN, NDTBD
1409: BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRSEAGLE BUTTE, SDTBD